Stillwater or similar? Any nurses, please help! (Minneapolis, St. Paul: rent, credit)

[ausboy]

Hi! I am a former MN living in Australia...my husband has posted a few questions and got a lot of good advice from others on this site, and we have also learned a lot from reading other posts. I was hoping some of you may help us again.

Some background, I am from small town MN but went to college in the St. Paul area (which I absolutely loved! The character, the older houses, etc.) but don't know much else about the cities as was pretty much confined to around the campus area. We are moving back to MN soonish and I think I have narrowed down where I would like to apply for work (I am trained as a midwife in Australia, but will be able to work in as an RN in labor and delivery while I transfer credit/become registered as a midwife). From what I can tell, and this is only from reading hospital websites so I'm not really sure if my deductions are correct, but I am being drawn to working at Hennepin County Medical Center or HealthEast (St Josephs or Woodlands) due to what looks like their support of midwifery led/natural birthing maternity facilities. My husband is a carpenter with a lot of experience so should be able to find a job anywhere, I'm guessing.

We are looking for somewhere with good, well rounded schools, not just focusing on academics as I know most MN schools are pretty fantastic (which I never appreciated how much so until I moved here!), but also sports, music, arts, community, and family orientated. Also a place with a bit of character like the St. Paul/Summit area (I don't think we want to live in St Paul though, as much as I enjoyed it...I want to have more of the smaller town feel I grew up with while we raise our children), if we could get an older victorian home to fix up, so much the better, a place where you would have trees in your yard or views, lots of parks and nature nearby, but still close to the museums, etc. of St Paul, and of course close to work. From what I can tell, Stillwater seems to fit this description if I worked at HealthEast...but is it reasonable to expect to buy or rent a home here on a parttime RN and carpenter wage with two small children? We have no idea what the cost of living is like there..only that the houses seem so much cheaper there than here in Australia. Is there anything else you could suggest? What about suggested places to live if I were to work at HCMC?

Thanks for any advice you can give!

[golfgal]

You mentioned Stillwater, it does fit your needs and once Highway 36 is rebuilt by next spring (I think) it will be a fairly easy commute to Minnneapolis. I think you will find other hospitals in the metro area are also very supportive of midwives--United Hospital in St. Paul for sure is another one to add to your list.

Hastings and Northfield are similar towns to Stillwater but they aren't any more convienent to Minneapolis. Chaska would be another option but again, you commute would be the same from Chaska to Minneapolis as it would be from Stillwater to MLPS.

Stillwater to Woodwinds would be an easy, easy commute.

[JenLee]

I remember the thread your hubby started!

I'm an RN and live in the Roseville/Shoreview/Arden Hills area and work in South Mpls: the 15-20 minute commute I've been used to for so many years has turned into 45 minutes-to-an-hour during rush hours thanks to the road construction along Highway 36 and 35W. I'm not loving it at all!

Have you started the process of checking with the MN State Board of Nursing yet? Here's a link for you: Minnesota Nursing Board : Home

My best friend is a CNM here; she has filled in for vacationing/pregnant CNM's during the past 2 summers at various hospitals (she teaches during the school year) and she says that HCMC is the best place to work for L&D. (It isn't MY hospital; nor is it my field of expertise; so I'll take her word for it!).

Have you considered living in the Mac/Groveland area? Or the Linden Hills area or south Mpls along the river (either side)? There are lots of different areas in the Cities that have neat older houses that a carpenter could work wonders on and make a tidy profit on too. Tonight I had to wait for a family member who was returning with friends to a house near the Frogtown/Midway area -not where I'd like to live; mind you; but I was fascinated by the lovely albeit run-down old Victorians there! And the yards had wonderful old trees and shrubbery too!

We plan to move back into the south Mpls area within a year or so; I'm just tired of having to drive everywhere at this point of my life.

[santos]

Mac/Groveland is wonderful but pricey. There are many fixeruppers in the Summit Hill area too, another pricey, wonderful area. Stillwater is fabulous, pricey but perhaps there are some bargins. Also check out Hudson, Wisconsin, right across the river from Stillwater. They have a hospital too. A nurse should be able to get a job anywhere, any city.